Characterization of Gaseous and Particulate Phase Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Emitted During Preharvest Burning of Sugar Cane in Different Regions of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.

Biomass burning is a significant anthropogenic source of air pollution, including the preharvest burning of sugar cane. These burn events result in atmospheric emissions, including semivolatile organic compounds, that may have adverse impacts on air quality and human health on a local, regional, and even a global scale. Gaseous and particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions from various sugar cane burn events in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa were simultaneously sampled using a portable denuder sampling technology, consisting of a quartz fiber filter sandwiched between two polydimethylsiloxane multichannel traps. Total gas and particle phase PAH concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 9.85 µg m-3 per individual burn event, and nine PAHs were quantified. Over 85% of all PAHs were found to exist in the gas phase, with smaller two- and three-ring PAHs, primarily naphthalene, 1-methyl naphthalene, and acenaphthylene, being the most dominant and causing the majority of variance between the burn sites. The PAH profiles differed between the different burn events at different sites, emphasizing the significant influence that the crop variety, prevailing weather conditions, and geographical location has on the type and number of pollutants emitted. The potential carcinogenicity of the PAH exposure was estimated based on toxic equivalency factors that showed varying risk potentials per burn event, with the highest value of 5.97 ng m-3 . Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:778-792. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Vertical distribution of organochlorine pesticides in humus along Alpine altitudinal profiles in relation to ambiental parameters.

In forest soils along vertical profiles located in different parts of the Alps, concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), namely organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCH), heptachlor, aldrin, dieldrin and mirex, were measured. Though local characteristics of the sites are influenced by numerous factors like orographic and meteorological parameters, forest stand characteristics and humus parameters, we ascertained a marked vertical increase of concentrations of some organochlorine compounds in the soil. On the basis of climatological values of each site, we found that the contamination increase with altitude can be ascribed to a certain 'cold condensation effect'. In addition, the perennial atmospheric deposition of POPs is controlled by precipitation. Other key parameters explaining the accumulation of POPs are the soil organic carbon stocks, the turnover times, the re-volatilisation and degradation processes, which vary with altitude.

Novel sampling methods for atmospheric semi-volatile organic compounds (SOCs) in a high altitude alpine environment.

High- and low-volume active air samplers as well as bulk deposition samplers were developed to sample atmospheric SOCs under the adverse conditions of a mountain environment. Active sampling employed separate filters for different European source regions. Filters were switched depending on daily trajectory forecasts, whose accuracy was evaluated post hoc. The sampling continued on three alpine summits over five periods of four months. The prevailing trajectories varied stronger between sampling periods than between stations. The sampling equipment (active and bulk deposition) proved dependable for operation in a mountain environment, with idle times being mainly due to non-routine manipulations and connectivity.

PCDD/F and PCB in spruce forests of the Alps.

PCDD/F and PCB concentrations in remote mountainous spruce stands of the Central European Alps show strong geographic variation. Independent of the matrix (0.5 year old needles, humus or mineral soil), the highest pollutant levels were always found at the lateral zones of the mountain range. High levels coincided with strong precipitation, particularly along the northern margin of the study region. The most volatile PCB congener propagated farther into the colder, drier central Alps than the heavier species. Matrices with different accumulation history (needles and humus) repeatedly reflected different spatial emission patterns. Consistent with its much longer exposure, pollutant levels in humus exceeded those of needles by up to two orders of magnitude. Needle contamination varied with altitude but the vertical trends were highly variable between transsects and changed between years, too.

A comparison of Alpine emissions to forest soil and spruce needle loads for persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

The project MONARPOP analysed the concentrations of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in two important sink compartments, needles of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) and forest soil from 40 remote Alpine forest sites in Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland. In the present study the load of PCDD/F, PCB, PBDE, PAH, HCB, HCH and DDT in the Alps calculated on the basis of measured data are compared with their estimated emissions in the Alpine region. It comes out that the masses of the studied pollutants stored in the forests are higher than the corresponding emissions in the Alpine area indicating that the Alps are a sink for POPs advected from surrounding areas. It is assumed that local emissions of PCDD/F and PAH deriving from biomass burning are probably underestimated and that the pool of these pollutants in the forests represents the accumulation over some decades.

Long-term air monitoring of organochlorine pesticides using Semi Permeable Membrane Devices (SPMDs) in the Alps.

Atmospheric sampling of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) was conducted using Semi Permeable Membrane Devices (SPMDs) deployed in the Alps at different altitudinal transects for two consecutive exposure periods of half a year and a third simultaneous year-long period. Along all the altitude profiles, the sequestered amounts of OCPs increased in general with altitude. SPMDs were still working as kinetic samplers after half a year for the majority of the OCPs. However, compounds with the lowest octanol-air partition coefficient (K(oa)), reached equilibrium within six months. This change in the SPMD uptake was determined for the temperature gradient along the altitude profile influencing K(oa), OCPs availability in the gaseous phase, and SPMD performance. In sum, it seems two effects are working in parallel along the altitude profiles: the change in SPMD performance and the different availability of OCPs along the altitudinal transects determined by their compound properties and concentrations in air.

Monitoring of PCDD/Fs in a mountain forest by means of active and passive sampling.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) are sampled and investigated in a forested area in Middle-Europe. The campaigns, consisting in active and passive samplings, were conducted in the Bavarian and Bohemian Forest at four sites chosen for their similar soil and forest stand characteristics. Passive sampling was conducted using both semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and needles of well-exposed dominant spruce trees. Active air sampling was also performed at one site with a low volume air sampler. Correlations were performed to identify relationships and trends of PCDD/F. Lower chlorinated PCDD/F are accumulated in SPMDs, needles collected all compounds among homologues and their PCDD/F pattern is close to that of active sampling. Results of the analysed compounds obtained with the different sampling methods served as a basis for the establishment of advantages and disadvantages of the sampling tools applied and their possible optimisation.

Changed vegetation composition in coniferous forests near to motorways in Southern Germany: the effects of traffic-born pollution.

To estimate the effect of traffic emissions on the vegetation composition of coniferous forests near to motorways, three transects of 520 m length were studied by analysing vegetation composition, soil parameters and deposition data in the Munich-area, Southern Germany. The detected patterns suggest that motorways have an impact on the vegetation composition in the neighbourhood of roads. Depending on the wind direction, the influences of the motorways reaches up to 230 m on downwind side and up to 80 m on upwind side. The vegetation is mainly affected by the deposition of nitrogen deriving from fuel combustion and by basic substances added to road salt. By monitoring vegetation changes near to motorways, it is possible to estimate the areas where harmful alterations of the ecosystem can be expected.

[Impact of environmental factors on the incidence of posteropative nausea and vomiting. Influence of the weather and cycle of the moon]. / Einfluss von Umweltfaktoren auf das Auftreten von Ubelkeit und Erbrechen in der postoperativen Phase. Welchen Einfluss haben das Wetter und die Mondphasen?

OBJECTIVE: In a survey concerning postoperative nausea and vomiting an unexpected high number of the participants stressed the impact of environmental factors, like weather and--even more surprising--the phase of the moon, on the occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the influence of these factors on the incidence of PONV. METHODS: On 203 days within the 19-month study period, 2488 patients were followed up for at least 24 hours postoperatively to determine the occurrence of PONV. For each day the actual incidence of PONV was compared with the mean predicted risk of PONV calculated with two risk scores for prediction of PONV (Koivuranta, 1997; Apfel, 1998). 32 days with the most significant difference between actual and predicted incidence of PONV were analysed retrospectively by two biometeorological experts, who were blind to the information whether each day was associated with a high or low incidence of PONV, evaluated the possible impact of the weather of these days. To analyse the influence of the cycle of the moon it was prospectively classified into four different phases. RESULTS: The two biometeorologists rated 22 out of the presented 32 days correctly. The likelihood p that this rating happened by chance is 0.0251, assuming that the likelihood for predicting each day correctly is 0.5 (independent Bernoulli-experiments, e.g. throwing a coin). However, days with a high or low incidence of PONV were equally distributed within the four phases of the moon (p = 0.97; chi 2-test with Yates' correction). CONCLUSION: Results from this analysis suggest that the weather may have some impact on the occurrence of PONV. However, our data do not support the hypothesis that the phases of the moon have any influence on this symptom.

Indoor/outdoor concentrations of ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN).

Photochemical pollutants such as ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) could adversely affect human health, especially with relation to effects on lung function. For a realistic assessment of ambient concentrations, both outdoor and indoor measurements of ozone and PAN are required, because people stay indoors for most of the time. Indoor/outdoor concentration ratios, indoor half-life times and indoor chemistry including physicochemical reactions on surfaces are quite well known for ozone, but not for PAN. While ozone is removed very rapidly mainly by heterogeneous reactions on surfaces or by gasphase reactions with e.g. carpet emissions, no such processes are known for PAN at present. The main removal process for PAN is thermal decay. Indoor concentrations of ozone and PAN can be a significant fraction of those outdoors highly depending on the ventilation pattern. Our measurements in various kinds of non-air-conditioned rooms show maximal indoor concentrations between 80 and 100% of those outdoors for ozone and PAN, respectively. Average indoor/outdoor ratios were calculated of 0.5 for ozone and between 0.7 and 0.9 for PAN. The half-life times ranged between only a few minutes for ozone and 0.5 to 1 h for PAN.